


Saudade

by Lucy_Luna



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family Feels, Gen, Mystery, Post-Battle of Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2018-10-21 05:19:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10678509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy_Luna/pseuds/Lucy_Luna
Summary: Narcissa, whose expression had become very critical upon her appearance, suddenly took on a look of astonishment. "Andromeda?" she whispered, sounding both awed and terribly frightened."Yes," Andromeda answered, throat constricting, and tears pricking at the back of her eyes.Lucius nudged Narcissa back. "She can't be, Narcissa," he told her in a voice that was both gentle and disbelieving. "She's too old."





	1. Chapter 1

They had found the two of them together. Narcissa, standing tall, but eyes swimming with tears, and Lucius, chin held high, yet even he could not stop his sneer from shaking.

Draco said he'd only lost track of them for a moment, but that probably wasn't quite true. Not that she thought he was lying per say. It likely had felt that way to him at the time - even if it wasn't reality. While their disappearances had caused the teenager's stomach to crumple and his knees to knock, Draco had continued walking toward the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

"I just thought I'd lost sight of them in the crowds and they were ahead or behind somewhere," the red-eyed teenager told them upon questioning.

This had made some of his interrogators share looks of disbelief. "Weren't they right beside you?" one asked.

Draco had shrugged helplessly. "Yes," he had answered. "I was looking down as we walked. Mother took my hand and squeezed it. At first, I just thought she was trying to be comforting, but then I didn't see her boots walking alongside mine anymore. I looked up then, to see if she and Father had slowed, or sped up, or- or–  stopped. I couldn't find them. I knew something felt wrong then, but I didn't–" Draco had quit speaking after that.

No amount of persuasion, threats or promises after that would make him say more.

His interrogators thought he knew more than he let on, Andromeda believed guilt stayed his tongue. Draco likely felt he should have reacted differently to his parents vanishing, felt he should have started shouting for them (no matter the response it would have caused from those around him).

Nymphadora wasn't more than a day dead, but Andromeda was already wondering if she hadn't shouted and raved when the time for battle came her daughter would still be alive.

They were alike, her and her nephew.

Lucius and Narcissa had disappeared and by the time someone else noticed they were gone, almost an hour had passed. A manhunt had begun after that, everyone assuming they had run off to avoid taking responsibility for their part in the war.

Andromeda couldn't quite believe anyone would think they'd do such a thing without taking their son with them. Draco was their pride and joy, she was sure. Over the past seventeen years, she had once in awhile caught glimpses of her sister and her family in places like Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Narcissa's gaze had always turned soft when it landed on her son and Lucius's mouth quirked with a smirk of pride when his son would say something. It was due to these glimpses Andromeda believed they would never have left him behind to take the brunt of whatever punishments were to come.

When they had discovered the two children hiding in the Slytherin boy dorms, one not even old enough for Hogwarts, the question had been, "What are you two doing here? Children were evacuated hours ago!" Not, "Thought you could get yourself out of trouble again, eh?"

After their discoverer had learned their names, things became increasingly more chaotic and at some point, she had been called away from her mourning to come and see the children.

Just the sight of Narcissa had taken Andromeda's breath away. When she saw Lucius, a contemporary of her own, so young, she felt a panicked sweat begin on the nape of her neck.

It was _wrong._

"What is the meaning of this?" she remembered asking.

One of the young men guarding the children had said, "They supposedly don't remember anything."

Narcissa, whose expression had become very critical upon her appearance, suddenly took on a look of astonishment. "Andromeda?" she whispered, sounding both awed and terribly frightened.

"You're too young," Andromeda quipped back.

This made the boy furrow his brow and cross his arms. "Prove it," he demanded.

Briefly, she wondered if he'd not asked these guards and everyone else he and Narcissa must have already been paraded in front of for the same. However, she had not dwelt on that as she approached the skittish children.

Pulling out from beneath her shirt the locket Narcissa had given her years before when they were young, she opened it. Peering in at the pictures, Narcissa whispered, "That's me, isn't it?"

"Yes, a couple years older than you are now," Andromeda replied.

Drawing closer, the little girl ran her finger over the other picture. "Who is this, though?"

"That's my Ted," she answered, voice catching.

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Ted _Tonks_?" he asked, voice already so cold, so disapproving.

Even though she'd been raised the same as he, Andromeda couldn't help but wonder if some people were just born hateful toward people they thought were inferiors.

Not willing to get into a philosophical debate with herself, Andromeda chose to ignore the question. She then explained to Narcissa, "It held Bellatrix's picture for a time, but then I replaced it with Ted's after we married. Yours, I keep, because you are the one who gifted me this treasure."

Narcissa had her lower lip between her teeth and the mother in Andromeda urged her to pull it out. Just as she used to with Nymphadora an age ago. She held herself back, however. She was unsure her touch would be welcome and a small part of Andromeda feared if she touched the girl, she'd disappear.

That she would return to those long past days. To those sweet, sad, memories.

"You're married?" she whispered.

Andromeda nodded instinctively. Ted hadn't been gone quite long enough for her to react differently. To shake her head and say, _"No, but I was…"_

Lucius put his hand on Narcissa's shoulder and pulled her back. "To a _M_ _udblood_ , from the sounds of it," he sneered.

Narcissa's eyes fluttered wide, shocked and filled with despair. "Really?" she asked.

Andromeda sighed and looked away. "Love doesn't always lead one down expected paths, Narcissa," she explained. Tipping her head toward Lucius, she said, "You found that out in time yourself."

The girl turned her head back at that, Lucius responded to her looking with an almost bashful lowering of his gaze. Andromeda always suspected Lucius had been sweet on her sister longer than he'd ever admit to and this seemed to be the proof she'd needed to affirm her theory.

Looking back at her once again, Narcissa, eyes big and scared murmured, "All these questions we've been asked…"

"They have reason to ask them," Andromeda responded, certain in this belief.

Lip slipping between her teeth again, Narcissa is quiet for a moment. "What happens now?" she asked.

"You two can come stay with me," she says.

Lucius scowls. "I'm not living in the same house as a _Mudblood_ , he declared.

"You won't have to, Ted is a year dead," Andromeda bit back, ever so pleased when the boy's haughty sneer was wiped from his face.

Narcissa reached out and took Andromeda's hand in her little girl fingers. "I'm sorry, Andy," she whispered.

Andromeda stared down at the girl. She searched blue eyes for deceit but found none. This little girl meant it, she was sorry that Andromeda's _Mudblood_ husband was dead.

Merlin, when had this little girl disappeared? When had she become the teenager who turned her back on Andromeda when she found out about Ted?

Fighting the urge to cry, Andromeda brought the girl close and hugged her.

Narcissa hugged back.

She considered reaching out to Lucius. She may have never liked him, but he was family. Looking up, she almost extended an arm, but stopped herself when the boy took a step back, eyes averted. Internally, she sighed. Perhaps later he would accept comfort. After a moment, she let her little sister go and said, "Just let me go speak with the gentlemen who were watching you two and we can go, alright?"

The girl nodded as Lucius continued to watch her with a half-doubtful, half-displeased frown. Trying not to think too hard on his glare, Andromeda turned her attention to the children's babysitters and wondered if they knew anything about where Draco was being held and if it was possible he could be released into her custody until all of this was sorted out.


	2. Chapter 2

When they stepped through the floo, the first thing that happened was that Narcissa approached Teddy. "Oh, who's baby is this?" Narcissa asked in wonder upon seeing Teddy laid out in Nymphadora's old cradle.

Swiftly making her way over, Andromeda bent down and scooped her grandson into her arms. While she knew her sister was all but innocent at this age, part of her could not forget that no matter what, Narcissa was more like Bellatrix than her. What might she do to a half-blood child that also had werewolf blood running through his veins?

"My grandson," she answered. "His name is Teddy Lupin."

"Lupin? As in a Lupin from the Lupin family with the boy that got bit by Fenrir Greyback?" Lucius asked, looking quite curious as he came close. "Father said it was Mister Lupin's own fault his son was bitten. If you suspect someone is a child-biting monster you shouldn't be insulting them to their face."

Andromeda held back a sigh. The comment was far more flippant than she cared for, but she couldn't deny there was some sense to the words Lucius parroted. Even so, the last thing she was going to do was acknowledge that part of what he said. "Yes," she replied. "A Lupin from that Lupin family."

"Is the father the son that got bitten?"

Narcissa took a step back. "Is he a werewolf too? Is Teddy dangerous?" she questioned fearfully.

Shoulders bowing from defeat and sadness, Andromeda turned her back on the children. "Yes," she whispered. "This is Remus Lupin's son. No, he's not a werewolf. Nor is this little baby a danger to anyone."

"Oh, good," Narcissa chirped as she approached once more. "May I hold him? I've never had the chance to hold a baby before…"

Andromeda was about to say yes, pleased that her word was enough for her child-sister when Lucius shot forward and pulled her back. "You don't want to hold that filthy thing," he scolded her. "Who knows what kind of germs it still has? If it were to slobber on you, you could get some kind of minor lycanthropy!"

"Lucius Malfoy she will not!" Andromeda barked.

The young boy shrank back, scowl on his face as Teddy began to whimper.

Bouncing her grandson, she scolded Lucius, "I can't believe you, Lucius! Spouting such ridiculous things! If any of that were true, do really think I'd endanger my sister?"

"I don't know, would you _blood-traitor_?"

If Teddy hadn't been in her arms, she would have slapped him. Child or no.

Putting her grandson back down in his cradle, she said, "I am going to show you your rooms. You, Lucius, will stay there until dinner."

The boy sneered. "That's fine by me!"

* * *

Dinner was a tense affair. Lucius wouldn't eat his food, instead opting to push it around on his plate and _scowl_ at it like it had somehow personally offended him. As for Narcissa, she took small bites between looking at Andromeda and Lucius. While she definitely should know better, given their upbringing as daughters of Black, Narcissa would fidget once in a while with anxious energy. It dredged up old memories of her youth. Once, Narcissa would do the same at dinners with their family when Bellatrix and their parents were fighting. She never could bear to see their family row with one another.

Silently, Andromeda sighed. Finished with her own dinner, she put down her fork and pulled the napkin from her lap. "What do I need to make you so you will eat, Lucius?" she asked.

He might be a little berk (and grow up to be a criminal), but he was a child. Andromeda was not a woman cruel enough to send a child to bed hungry. Even years after the fact, she could still recall the raw emptiness she used to feel when her parents would send her to bed without. She had been firm with Ted how that would never be a punishment Nymphadora faced and she'd rather eat her own sock before she did it to someone else's child. Even if that child wasn't truly a child and she didn't like them.

Lucius lifted his gaze from his dinner. "How long are we to stay here?"

"Until you're fixed, I assume," she replied.

He frowned. "My father…"

Andromeda ached. She shouldn't. She never liked Lucius – not when they were children, and certainly not when they were both adults – but she did. This news would hurt him far more than anything else, she knew. It had always been very obvious to her the two were close. How could they not? With his mother out of the picture from the time he was four or five years old, the two had no one but each other.

"I'm sorry, Lucius," she began.

He shot up from his chair. "Don't say it," he begged.

"Lucius–"

He put his hands to his ears and yelled, "I _hate_ the future!"

Andromeda didn't know what to say. She looked to her little sister. Narcissa stared back, looking just as at-a-loss as she felt. Andromeda did not like Lucius on principle, but right now he was a boy. A boy who'd been through a great ordeal today and thrust into a world that was both strange and hostile. Getting up from her seat, she approached him the same way she would approach a dragon. When she was close enough to touch him, she gently took hold of his shoulder and brought him against her.

Surprisingly, he didn't fight her. He let her wrap him in a loose embrace and run her hand through his short, feathery locks. He wasn't crying, but his breathing was uneven and he shook with something akin to sobs. Softly, she said, "I know we never much cared for each other, but, right now, I've been entrusted to care for you and Narcissa. I take that responsibility very seriously. So why don't we call a truce and you let me help you, hm? Things are going to be difficult, no matter what, but if we can be… _amicable_ with one another, we can make however long your stay here is at the very least comfortable."

She felt his head move against her shoulder in what might have been a nod. She accepted it was a nod, anyway. She pet his hair for a moment more, then let her hands and arms fall away. "Now, will you eat your dinner? Or should I make you something else to eat?"

He wouldn't look at her, but he whispered, "I'll eat it."

"Thank you," she said. Moving back to the table, she picked up her empty plate and then looked over to Narcissa. "Are you done with your dinner?" she inquired.

Immediately, the girl turned her attention back to her food and began to eat with more gusto than she'd shown previously. Well, that answered that. Looking between the two as they ate, she said, "I'll just be in the kitchen, alright?"

Neither replied, but she was certain they had heard her and understood. Walking into the kitchen, she set her plate in the sink. Crouching down, she opened the cupboard under it and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. Taking a quick swig, she relished the burn of it as the whiskey ran down her throat. While she put the bottle back she hoped tomorrow's dinner would not be so emotionally draining.

Andromeda wasn't going to hold her breath, however. Tomorrow morning she would be going to retrieve Draco and she could only _begin_ to imagine what kind of turmoil his presence was going to cause.


	3. Chapter 3

Andromeda could not sleep. She tried to a handful of times, but then Teddy would wake, crying to be fed, held, changed, and she would be wide awake once more. She was far from old, but she wasn't young anymore either. She was never supposed to be a mother again. She was never supposed to have a second go at these late nights trying to soothe a fussy baby. She was never supposed to be all that was left.

But she was. 

She cried self-pitying, mournful, angry tears and wished with a vengeance she had fought Nymphadora harder about leaving her baby to go battle beside Remus. After being woken for the third time by Teddy, Andromeda decided to go check on her little sister and brother-in-law. She crept quietly down the hallway from her bedroom to Nymphadora's old room, where she put Narcissa. Opening the door, she sighed when she saw the little girl sitting up in bed awake.

"Narcissa?"

The girl startled and hastily tried to hide something in the sheets of her borrowed bed. Andromeda frowned. She was not going to put up with nonsense like that. Walking into the room, she approached her wide-eyed sister and threw back the sheets. She blinked in surprise when she saw a picture of herself and Nymphadora staring back at her. Picking it up, she ran a finger down the young face of her daughter. She remembered when this was taken. It had been shortly before Nymphadora left for Hogwarts. Her, Ted, and Nymphadora had gone out for ice cream and Ted had insisted he take a picture of them.

Andromeda had thought the idea a little silly, since there had been nothing particularly special about that day, but relented when Nymphadora enthusiastically began to grow a duckbill for a mouth in response. Her daughter did so love to ham it up for a camera.

"What are you doing with this?" Andromeda finally asked, feeling both drained and close to tears once more.

Knees pulled close to her chest, her little sister hid her face in her lap and mumbled, "I was just looking. She turned her face into a duckbill."

Putting the photo back on the shelf above Nymphadora's old bed, Andromeda told Narcissa, "She was a Metamorphmagus. She could do much more than just turn her face into a duckbill."

Body quivering, her sister whispered, "She's dead too, isn't she?"

Andromeda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes," she whispered. "Ted, Nymphadora, Remus, our parents, Bellatrix… Most everyone we once held dear is dead these days."

"I'm sorry!" Narcissa whimpered.

Andromeda started at the words. Reaching for the little girl, she all but pulled her into her lap as she asked, "Whatever for?"

"I know we were on the bad side. Once we told the Auror people our names they got all mean and started asking us all kinds of questions and wouldn't stop until I was crying. It's my fault they're all dead."

Andromeda felt uncertain how to proceed. Narcissa wasn't wrong. She may not have killed her family personally, but she was a part of the cause that led to their deaths. Even so, Narcissa as she was _now_ had no part in any of it. She was a little girl. She had never even ridden the Hogwarts Express in her memory. "It's not," Andromeda began slowly. "Perhaps if you were the grown woman you are supposed to be you would hold some of the blame… But not now. Now you are just a little girl."

Narcissa looked up at her with big, wet blue eyes. "You mean that?" she asked

"Yes," Andromeda answered. "Now, how would you like to come sleep with me in my bed for the rest of the night?"

The girl relaxed almost entirely. "Really?"

She nodded against the soft blonde hair of her sister. "You go on ahead of me to my room, alright? I'm going to check in with Lucius for a moment."

Narcissa didn't need to be told twice, scrambling out of Andromeda's arms, she was off through the open door. By the time Andromeda got up and left the room, her little sister was out of sight. Walking across the hall to the guest room, Andromeda hesitated. Should she knock? If he was sleeping…

Andromeda sighed. Opening the door very slowly she called in a hushed voice, "Lucius?"

"Yes?" he replied.

She poked her head in to see the boy sitting in a chair by the window. "Do you need anything? A glass of water?" she asked.

He didn't look away from the world outside. "No."

"I know it must be difficult, after everything, but please do try and get some sleep. Tomorrow… _Today_ is going to be just as, if not more, trying."

Lucius didn't move, but after a moment he did say, "I will."

She nodded, even though he couldn't see. "Thank you," she concluded before shutting the door once more. She stood outside his door a moment longer, listening for the faintest sound of bare feet on the hardwood of the guestroom floor. In the end, she heard nothing. Feeling ever so slightly defeated, Andromeda walked away.

Narcissa was waiting for her.

* * *

"I'm here to retrieve my nephew," she informed one of the men guarding the makeshift cells that filled Hogwarts's dungeon.

Confusion pursed his lip. "Pardon?"

She frowned. "My nephew, Draco Malfoy. I'm his aunt, Andromeda Tonks. After I retrieved my sister and brother-in-law yesterday evening it was agreed that I may take home my nephew after they had a chance to thoroughly question him."

His dark-eyed gaze sparked with understanding. "Ah, yes!" he exclaimed. "Right this way, Mrs. Tonks."

The man led them down a way into the dungeon, to another fellow, who was older than Andromeda and had a short, well-groomed beard. "Mackenzie!" the man Andromeda had followed greeted. "This is Andromeda Tonks. She's here for Malfoy."

The man looked her over. "Hello," he said. "I assume your sister and brother-in-law are still children?"

She nodded. "After I retrieve my nephew, whom do I speak with about my daughter and son-in-law's bodies? I wish to have their funerals before the end of this week."

His gaze softened slightly. "Thompson, go find Madam Pomfrey or whoever it was that was helping her yesterday clean up and identify the fallen. I want them brought down here to Mrs. Tonks. I'm not going to make her find them herself, she has enough to be worrying about right now."

The man beside her nodded. "Of course," he agreed.

A small lump in her throat, Andromeda told the man, Mackenzie, "You didn't have to do that."

Face solemn, he came closer and gently took her hand in his. "I really did. Your daughter and son-in-law died for our side and now… You're doing a lot more than I would for your estranged family."

She tried to smile in thanks for the kind words, but ended up grimacing instead. Even so, Mackenzie seemed to understand and smiled back. "This way," he told her. Mackenzie led Andromeda a few cells down. Pulling out his wand, he unlocked it and opened it. "Oi! Malfoy!" he yelled. "Come out here, your aunt has come for you."

Andromeda held her breath as she waited for Draco to show himself.

It didn't take long. Out of the shadows came her dirty, exhausted nephew. "Where are my parents?" he demanded the moment his scared eyes landed on her.

"At my home. Safe." Reaching out for the young man, she informed him, "Once we talk to someone about my daughter and son-in-law, I will take you to them."

Linking arms with her, he sagged into her side. He smelled of dirt, sweat, and death, but Andromeda didn't mind. She was just relieved her nephew appeared relatively unharmed. It was one less thing for her to fret about. "Thank you," he whispered.

Patting his hand, she murmured, "It is what family does." Even when said family had a part in the deaths of her beloved husband and daughter.


	4. Chapter 4

Andromeda kept silent as Draco and his parents stared at one another. Lucius was frowning thoughtfully, Narcissa's eyes glinted with curiosity, and Draco… He looked ready to cry. If from relief or grief she couldn't be sure. Finally, the silence was broken by Narcissa.

"You're really our son?" she asked. Andromeda almost wanted to roll her eyes. Did her sister really think she would lie about something like this?

Draco dipped his chin in reply. "Yes," he whispered.

She grinned brilliantly. "You're very handsome. Don't you think, Lucius?" she asked, turning her attention to the boy beside her.

"He looks a great deal like Father." Lucius's eyes shifted away from Draco and landed on on Narcissa. "But he also has your nose," he mumbled.

The girl's fingers flitted to her nose, cheeks pinkening. "Really?"

His ears a little red, Lucius dropped his stare to the floor. "Yes."

"You… You really don't remember anything, do you?" Draco croaked.

Narcissa shook her head. "I wish we did," she offered sweetly.

Andromeda once again wondered where this little girl had gone. Narcissa used to be so kind. So considerate, so empathetic. She had been a beautiful child. An angel with a human face. Before either of the children could say anything else, Draco looked to her and asked, "Would you mind if I took a bath? I'm starting to itch from all of this grime."

She nodded. "Of course." Cocking her head, she raked her eyes over her nephew's lean form. "You're a bit taller than my husband was," she remarked. "But I still have a few of his robes and the like up in the attic. I can give you them to change into and we can see about fitting them better to suit you after you're refreshed."

"Please," he whispered.

Gesturing for the young man to follow her, she said, "I'll show you to the loo." She glanced to Narcissa and Lucius. The pair looked slightly disappointed that Draco was already leaving them. She felt a spike of relief. They liked him. That was going to make things a bit easier. "You two stay right here," she ordered firmly. She wanted to talk to Draco alone for a moment. See how he was dealing with his parents being children so much younger than himself. It couldn't be an easy thing to accept. Perhaps it was even more difficult to deal with than it was for Andromeda. She knew these children, she'd grown up with them. But for Draco? They were all but strangers.

Narcissa drooped a little and Lucius's eyes flashed with something close to defiance. Oh, she was going to have to cast a Muffliato when her and Draco went into the attic. He was definitely going to attempt to eavesdrop. Showing her nephew out of the drawing room, Andromeda took them up the stairs to the hallway where all the bedrooms and the upstairs loo was and then up another set to the attic.

Glancing to the open doorway of the attic, she cast the charm that would keep their conversation private. That was going to teach the little bugger to listen to her, she thought with a tinge of satisfaction.

Returning her attention to Draco, who stood uncertainly in front of stacks of unlabeled boxes, Andromeda sighed. "Ted's things are in the small pile on the right," she told the young man.

He glanced her way. "Okay," he mumbled before getting to work and bringing one down to sort through for clothes.

Watching him, she asked, "Are you alright? I could see about making other arrangements for you if you aren't comfortable staying here. You are technically an adult and I'm sure we could find you a flat or something where you could stay alone until this is all resolved."

Draco didn't pause in sifting through the boxes. Andromeda was reminded greatly of Lucius in that moment. It was true, the apple did not fall far from the tree. Or, at least this one hadn't. After a few moments of silence on his part, Draco said, "It's odd." Holding up an old robe that used to be one of Ted's favorites, he continued, "They don't look a lot like my mum and dad, you know? They look like little kids. It's hard to believe they are my parents." Turning around with a neat pile of clothes in the crook of his arm, he told Andromeda, "But I want to stay. Mum and Dad always did their best by me. Even these past couple of years they've done all they could to make things bearable for me – no matter what it cost them. I want to be here for them."

Andromeda nodded. "Alright."

"Thank you, by the way, for doing all of this."

She felt her eyebrows shoot halfway up her forehead. Andromeda had not expected him to thank her.

He smiled tentatively at her. "You could have outright refused to deal with any of us. We… We've done wrong by you more than once. Many times, if we're being honest. I would have understood if you had wanted to pretend we didn't exist at all."

She considered carefully how to respond. "Your parents are children," she said. "In body and mind. As they are now, they are innocents. I do not hold them accountable for their older selves actions in any way." Closing the space between her and her nephew, she reached up and touched his cheek. "You have done wrong, I know," she said, "But you are hardly more than a boy yourself. I grew up in a similar world to you. I know that choice is not always a luxury we have and I'm willing to believe the consequences were a great deal more grave for you than they were for me should you refuse to do your 'duty'."

Draco's eyes filled with tears. Shifting, he placed a kiss on the palm of her hand. "Thank you, Aunt Andromeda," he whispered.

She smiled at him and just stood there, cradling her nephew's cheek a while longer. Finally, after a time, she said, "Let me show you where the loo is so you can get cleaned up."

* * *

When she returned to the children, Lucius was pouting on the sofa and Narcissa sat in an armchair by the fireplace looking amused. Andromeda smiled at them. "That's what you get for disobeying, you little sneak," she said to Lucius.

He blanched at her words, which caused Narcissa to begin to giggle. Andromeda joined her sister for a moment before sobering. "You two are going to be alright with this, aren't you? Having your son around?"

"Yes," Lucius answered as Narcissa exclaimed, "Of course!"

She smiled in relief. She had worried, despite knowing the chance the two would not like having Draco here was slim. "Be understanding with him, won't you? This is going to be much more of a challenge for him than you. He might miss the adult versions of you from time to time and not always be kind when he does."

The children were solemn as they nod. Andromeda was relieved they understood the gravity of their situation. She would still have to watch them all carefully, make sure no resentment rose up from any side over however long they were to be stuck in this situation. It would not do for it to carry over to when things were (relatively) back to normal. The three were going to need to be a united front to get through the after-throes of war in one piece.

"Now, I don't know how long Draco is going to be in the bath, but I'm going to check on Teddy and see if I can't get him in a nice mood to meet his cousin." Keeping her gaze firm as she looked between her little sister and brother-in-law, she ordered, "Behave yourselves and don't pester Draco too much when he comes down. You'll get to know him much easier if you take things at his pace."

Narcissa smiled. "Yes, Andromeda," she said.

Andromeda raised an eyebrow in Lucius's direction. She wanted a verbal agreement from both. When he realized she was waiting for him to say yes as well, he let out a huffy noise that was far too teenage-like for Andromeda's liking. Dear Merlin, the boy was hardly even twelve and he had an attitude. "Yes, alright! We won't needle him with questions!"

"Thank you," Andromeda said crisply, ignoring the boy's snideness before turning away from the pair to retrieve Teddy.


	5. Chapter 5

With Draco helping her care for not only Lucius and Narcissa, but Teddy as well, Andromeda was able to steal away to the dining room for a few of hours at a time over the next couple of days and put together Nymphadora and Remus's funeral. While she'd hoped to hold the funeral before the first week anniversary of the Battle, in the end, it worked out better for Andromeda to have it on the second Sunday after the Battle. With the date set, she sent off an announcement to be printed in the Daily Prophet and a couple of other popular periodicals. After that, Andromeda wrote people she knew deserved a personal invite to the funeral, such as Harry (he would want to say goodbye to Remus), the Weasley family (Nymphadora was classmates with Charlie and got along so well with his little sister), Hestia Jones (she and Nymphadora were best friends during their years at Hogwarts), and, then, after some asking around for an address, Lyall Lupin. She hoped he wouldn't be upset with her for taking away the chance to hold a separate funeral for Remus. It only seemed right that her daughter and Remus should have a joint funeral after dying together in the battle.

After everything was in order, she put away all of the paperwork and then walked into the drawing room where she knew Draco and the children were. Even with her heavy heart, she managed to smile at the sight in front of her. On the floor, Draco sat cross-legged with Narcissa in his lap and, in front of him, Ted's Muggle chess board. They appeared to be playing a game, albeit a little awkwardly since Draco had to stretch his arm across the board to move his pieces. Looking up from the duo, Andromeda raised an eyebrow when she saw Lucius, who was in one of the room's armchairs, staring over the edge of a book he was reading at her. He hastily went back to his book at her gaze.

Rolling her eyes in an almost good-natured way, she asked, "When did you last check on Teddy?"

"About twenty minutes ago," Draco answered, looking up from his and Narcissa's game. "He was sleeping then."

Nodding, Andromeda replied, "I'll go check on him and then start lunch. Any preferences? I was thinking kedgeree might be nice."

"That's fine," Draco replied for himself and his parents before returning his attention to the chess board.

* * *

 

Watching the children and Draco eat, Andromeda decided now was as good a time as any to announce the funeral. "This coming Sunday will be Nymphadora and Remus's funeral."

Lucius paused in eating and asked, "What does that mean for us?"

"I'm not going to make any of you go. It probably would be best if you didn't, either," she explained. "Nymphadora and Remus died heroes." Andromeda then fell quiet and let the silence pointedly remind them all that the Malfoys were not. Placing her utensils on her now empty plate, Andromeda went on, "Draco, would you be alright here alone with all of the children then? Teddy as well?"

He nodded. "Yes, of course." Then, hesitantly, he asked, "You haven't heard from anyone about what caused this… this _situation,_ have you?" He tipped his head in the direction of Lucius and Narcissa.

Lucius scowled as Andromeda's little sister looked to her, expression anxious.

She sighed. "No, I haven't." Gathering up all of their now empty dishes, she said, "If we hear no word from anyone and Lucius and Narcissa are still as they are after the funeral, I will start contacting those who are aware of what happened and might be helping to fix them."

Narcissa, who had been biting her lip, questioned, "Why has nothing been done yet to turn us back since they first found us?"

Andromeda averted her gaze. She felt ashamed for not doing more to return them to their rightful ages and even more so that no one else cared to either. The Malfoys needed to be tried for their crimes and Lucius and Narcissa deserved their lives back. Draco deserved to have his parents. Yet… This almost felt easier. It was a punishment, in a way. Their memories, knowledge, standing and control over the world had been taken from them. As they were, there was also a chance for redemtion. Under her care, she would do her best to make sure they grew up to be virtuous members of society.

Quietly, she explained, "I suspect with all the things going on right now, their resources are stretched quite thin. They know where you three are, they also know you aren't a threat and aren't going to disappear. While I would prefer this to be fixed sooner, because there could be a time limit for turning you back into yourselves, I'm sure if we let them go at this problem at their own pace they would still be able to pinpoint what happened to you. Perhaps even fix you too."

"This is ridiculous. You think we would be a top priority! What, with all the questions they kept asking us after they found Narcissa and I. I _know_ we were really important to our side of the war!" Lucius grumbled.

Andromeda heard a distinct thunk from under the table. Glaring at the boy, she said, "Do not kick my table, Lucius Malfoy."

"Hmph!"

Draco put a hand on his child-father's shoulder. "You know when they turn you and Mum back they're going to charge you with war crimes, don't you? Maybe you shouldn't be wanting to be an adult so soon. This might be the last bit of freedom you ever experience."

Lucius pulled away from his son. Getting to his feet, he yelled, "At least everything would make sense then! I don't know anything! I could grow up all over again and the future would _still_ not make sense. How did my father die? You don't know, _Andromeda_ doesn't know! Why am I a Death Eater? Dad isn't! He told me to never be one either! You're never to so obviously tie yourself to a cause that you can't guarantee will win. I would know why I let my and Narcissa's _son_ be marked too if I were grown!"

Andromeda's nephew began to shake. "You didn't want me to be a Death Eater," he whispered. "You didn't have a choice. The Lord forced me to be marked." Standing on trembling legs, Draco continued, "I don't know the answers to your other questions, but I can help you find them. You just have to let me know you have questions in the first place."

Arms crossed, Lucius made a face of disgust. "You're lying! There's always a choice. I'd die before I let any son of mine become a Death Eater! You're a liar and I don't want your help." Finished with his tirade, the boy stalked past his son, checking him in the side as he went. Closing her eyes, Andromeda listened as he stomped up the stairs and then as the door to the guest room opened and slammed shut.

"It's okay. Lucius is just scared. He gets mean when he's scared…"

Andromeda opened her eyes at the words of comfort. She wasn't surprised in the slightest to find Narcissa beside her son, patting his arm. She used to hate to see people upset. Especially those she loved. Keeping silent, she watched as Draco's quaking form grew still and strong as her little sister told him a story about another time Lucius was scared and became mean, how when he wasn't so scared anymore, he brought her a gift. A brooch that was his grandmother's.

She remembered that brooch, it was a simple gold trimmed cameo of a woman with long hair. Narcissa just started wearing it one day around the time they were ten and eight and no matter what way Andromeda asked, Narcissa would never tell where she got it. Now, with age and experience, Andromeda could muse that Narcissa kept her lips sealed to stop Lucius from getting into trouble. She could only begin to imagine the kind of anger Abraxas Malfoy would have unleashed upon his son if he knew the boy gave a girl he wasn't engaged or wed to a family heirloom.

It simply wasn't _done_. It being a youthful folly of a child not understanding the value of the brooch would not have been accepted either. He'd grown up knowing everything he and his family owned was the very finest money could buy. For Lucius to give it away as an apology of all things meant he valued Narcissa far more than he valued the brooch and his own hide.

Andromeda had never been much of a romantic, nor one taken by flights of fancy, but she was willing to bet her life on that brooch being much more than an apology. It had been a declaration of _love._ It was no wonder her little sister had worn it so proudly or so often. It was no wonder she married him and stood by his side even during times of war and strife.

"You listen to your mother, Draco, she knows what she's talking about," said Andromeda.

Narcissa smiled sunnily, pleased at Andromeda's words, as her son's expression turned thoughtful. Draco nodded. "You would know, wouldn't you, Aunt Andromeda? You knew them at this age."

She didn't know what to say to that. She stayed silent and tried for a half-smile, acting as if it were a compliment. It appeared to please Draco as he smiled back. Then, he took Narcissa's hand and suggested, "Why don't we go finish our game of chess?"

Narcissa darted off. "I'm going to win!"

"I remember exactly what that board looks like," Draco called after, hurrying to catch up. "It better be how I remembered it when I get in there."

Andromeda covered her amused smirk with her hand. She was glad that at least Narcissa and Draco were getting along so well. Hopefully, with a bit more time, Lucius would start to relax and become just as friendly with his son.


	6. Chapter 6

"You can come visit Teddy whenever you like," she told Lyall Lupin.

The age-stooped man smiled through his tears. "Thank you," he said. "For all of this," he went on, waving a hand at the room. "I wouldn't have known where to begin."

Andromeda gripped his hand tightly, trying to convey how much it meant to her to have his approval for his son's final send-off. Sharing one last soulful look with Lyall, she whispered, "Thank you for coming."

"I'll write you soon, alright?"

She nodded and let go of his hand. Lyall then moved past her and through the other mourners, who moved aside as he walked toward the exit of the little cathedral the funeral was being held in. Not even a minute later, Andromeda saw out of the corner of her eye someone quickly approaching her. Turning her head, she frowned when she saw it was Harry. She really could have done with more than a minute to herself to recover from the emotional conversation she just had with Remus's father.

"Andromeda," Harry greeted. He offered her his hand to shake. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Politely, she took the young man's hand and shook it. "It's your loss too."

He averted his eyes. "How's Teddy?"

"Just fine. Hasn't morphed much lately, but I suspect that will change as things settle into a new routine," Andromeda explained, relieved to be talking about someone other than her daughter and Remus. She loved them, wanted to honor them here today, but she couldn't help but think funerals were invented by sadists. Being made to sit and _listen_ as everyone took turns to speak of how wonderful her daughter was (and Remus too) reminded Andromeda again that Nymphadora was gone forever and renewed her grief tenfold. If Andromeda had her way, funerals wouldn't exist. Instead, those left behind would be allowed to just shut themselves away in their homes to repair their shattered hearts in peace.

Harry's lips quirked with brief amusement. "Good," he said. "Good." He brought a hand up to scratch at his jaw. "I was wondering…" he mumbled before falling silent.

Andromeda pursed her lips, a bit annoyed. "Yes?" she asked. "What is it you want?" She did not know Harry well, but she was familiar with others asking for things. Her daughter had done it enough when she first moved out to strike out on her own. Nymphadora would come home periodically and ask her favors. Would you please do my laundry? Auror training has been _so_ draining… Do you know how to cook bruschetta? I invited a guy I like to my apartment for dinner and I want to impress him.

He looked at her, a bit wide-eyed. "Could I come back with you and see Teddy?" Then, after a quick look around the room at the other mourners, "And Narcissa? I know what happened to them."

Panic hastened her heartbeat. "How?" she croaked.

A wry smile crept across Harry's face. "I'm the savior. If I want to know something, all I have to do is ask."

She hadn't thought about it before, but she worried now. Her home wasn't unplottable or protected by any special charms. Draco and the children were alone at her house without wands and without access to the Floo. With her out of the house, this would be the perfect time for anyone with a grudge to attack. In little more than a hiss, Andromeda asked, "How many know about my sister and brother-in-law?"

"Not too many. From what I was told, once it was figured out who they were, things were hushed up quickly. I believe there were some vows or contracts involved too."

Andromeda put a hand to her heart, relieved. It didn't mean something couldn't have or be happening, but it slimmed down the chances enough she felt comfortable with the idea of moving around the room and accepting the last of her condolences from the other funeral-goers before taking Harry to see Teddy and Narcissa.

* * *

Slowly rocking a sleeping Teddy, Andromeda watched from her chair as Harry took a knee in front of Narcissa. With a kind face, he said, "I know you don't know me, or what you did for me when you're grown, but thank you."

Narcissa blinked owlishly. "I did something good? I thought I was on the bad side."

Harry grimaced. Looking away from the girl, he ran a hand through his already mussed locks and sighed. "You were, but… You weren't in the end. Not really."

She smiled, a bit of pink rosying her pale cheeks. It was obvious to Andromeda she was pleased by this news. She'd noticed over the week Narcissa was quite gutted about growing up to be a villain. Though, what child wouldn't be? Andromeda didn't believe anyone aimed to grow up to be a criminal. 

"Well, um, you're welcome then?" she offered shyly.

He chuckled. "It has been nice meeting you in calmer circumstances."

Andromeda's sister smiled back nervously. "May I ask you a question?"

Harry hesitated. Andromeda approved. Child or no, Narcissa was a clever little thing and there was no guarantee this question would be safe. Finally, the young man said, "Yes."

"Are Lucius and Draco really bad? Or are they like me?"

The young man looked to Andromeda. Obviously at a loss how to explain to a nine-year-old girl that it just wasn't that simple. There was so much nuance to her husband, to her child and Harry could only begin to guess at who they really were. Unlike Narcissa, who'd outright defied the Dark Lord when she told him Harry was dead in front of the young man, Lucius and Draco had done nothing to blatantly show who they were truly loyal too.

Finally, Harry told Narcissa, "I… I can't be sure. I'd like to say they're like you. I want to believe if they had been in your situation, they would have lied too."

The girl deflated a little. Harry's answer was not the one she wanted. "Thank you for your honesty," she mumbled. Her eyes flitted wide for a moment, a new thought having come to her. Eyes squinted with suspicion, she asked, "What Hogwarts house are you?"

Harry couldn't hide his bemusement and Andromeda had to smother a smile behind her hand. "Gryffindor," he answered.

Narcissa nodded in satisfaction. "Good. If you were a Slytherin, I'd have to reconsider if you were really being honest just now."

"Oh?"

Her sister looked at her. "Yes," she whispered. "Slytherins are excellent liars."

Andromeda felt her mouth go dry. Why was Narcissa looking at her like that?


	7. Chapter 7

She and Lucius were essentially alone for the moment. Andromeda had just put Teddy in his chair beside the table so she could eat comfortably with her arms free and the baby's eyes were drooping like he planned to take an after breakfast nap. She wouldn't be surprised if he did. He'd woken her especially early today.

Finished with his slice of toast, Lucius carefully brushed his hands and face clean before settling her with a piercing look.

Unperturbed, she raised an eyebrow back at him. Trust that Lucius would attempt to intimidate her before he even asked his first question. Unfortunately, Andromeda was immune to such nonsense. One had to be if you were going to survive childhood with a sister like Bellatrix.

"Did you not love them?" asked Lucius

"Excuse me?" Andromeda returned, half-angry, half-confused. Who was this them? Her parents? Or Ted and Nymphadora?

Thankfully, she did not have to wait long for clarification. Annoyed, Lucius snapped, "Your family. Did you not love them? Is that why you married that Mudblood?"

She frowned. "Don't use that word in my presence. I will scourgify your mouth," Andromeda threatened, reaching for her wand.

He tucked his chin into his chest and scowled. "Whatever." Then, after a minute or so of quiet, he grumbled, "You're not answering my question. Did you love your family?"

"Of course I did."

"How could you do that to them then?" he demanded, sitting up a little straighter, looking truly indignant on their behalf.

Andromeda took a moment to stir a cube of sugar into her tea. Going for nonchalance, she said, "Let me ask you something, Lucius. How could they abandon me like that for being in love?"

He fidgeted in his seat. Then, Lucius looked away. To something off to the right of her. The sink, perhaps? Finally, in a soft voice, he said, "Father loved my mother. But when she went mad, he couldn't just ignore it. She would have eventually done something highly inappropriate in public and bring down the Malfoy name in the process."

Andromeda was startled by the admission. She had heard rumors about Lucius's mother growing up, some said Abraxas had murdered her, others said he kept her locked away in a secret dungeon after having caught her in bed with another man, and even more said she ran off with a lover to the continent. No one ever speculated she'd gone mad, however.

"…You think the opinions of others matter more than the happiness of individual family members?"

"Are you saying you'd rather be judged by a single cretin in your family tree rather than by a whole line of people who were respectable members of society?" he countered heatedly.

Andromeda did not rise to the bait. Leaning a little closer to the boy, she asked, "Is that how your father explained why what happened to your mother needed to be kept a secret?"

He broke eye contact with. "Yes," whispered Lucius.

She hurt so much for this child Lucius once was. It was easy to see how he became the man she knew. He'd been raised by a man with warped ideas and became warped himself. "You're going to be upset with me, but your father was wrong."

"No, he wasn't! He was right! The Malfoys would be laughing stocks like the Lovegoods if we let Mother natter on in public to people who weren't there!" Lucius shouted, rocketing up from his chair so fast he knocked it backward to the floor.

Teddy began to shriek. Every instinct screamed at Andromeda to look away from Lucius, to tend to her now sobbing grandchild. But she had to finish this. She had to make the boy understand what his father did was _wrong._ Andromeda wetted her parted lips and looked over the boy's tense, angry form. "You know Blacks aren't known for always being the soundest of mind, don't you? The ones that live to be older than fifty or sixty, anyway."

The boy gave a terse nod of his head, but otherwise remained silent.

"What if it Narcissa were to go mad like your mother? Would you lock her away?"

Magic warped the air around them, causing a few knick-knacks to fall down from the cabinets about the counters. Andromeda stayed rooted to her chair, she couldn't let on that she was afraid now. Children Lucius's age only lost control over their magic when they were truly disturbed. "Never!" he spat.

"Never!" he spat.

"Then why was you father justified in doing such a thing to your mother?" Andromeda asked loudly over Teddy's continued crying.

Lucius was struck dumb. Panic began to overtake his features as he stammered, "Father– He– He– Everything Father does is for the good of our family."

Andromeda fell quiet and used the moment to gather her grandson into her arms and soothe him. After giving Lucius's words an appropriate amount of time to stew between them, she finally murmured, "That is obviously a lie."

Teddy quiet once more, she put him back in his chair and cast a silencing charm over him encase things became heated once more. Moving next toward her brother-in-law, she cupped his face in her hands and made him meet her gaze. "If everything he did was for the good of your family, he would have worked to find a way to let your mother continue to have as normal a life as possible. Continue to let you have a mother – even if she was a far from perfect one."

The boy flinched in her hold, trying to pull away.

Holding fast, she whispered, "I understand if you can't admit it now, but I know you know it too. You don't have to make excuses for him anymore. He's gone."

"I used to ask for her," Lucius admitted in rushed breath. "Sometimes, I would have nightmares and would just beg him to let me see Mum when I woke up from them. She used to _always_ be there to make me feel better after I had one." Eyes misty, he murmured, "The last time I asked, he told me I wasn't a baby anymore and she was as good as dead to us. He told me if I kept bothering him about Mum, he'd lock me up with her and I'd never see him – or anyone else I know – again."

Andromeda was horrified. Sweet Salazar, no wonder Lucius had always been so adoring toward his father. He'd been afraid if he showed the man an ounce of unhappiness he would throw him away like he had his mother. Then again, she had experienced similar flavors of awfulness from her own parents growing up. She honestly wondered how any of the traditional Pureblood families ever managed to survive for more than a handful of generations.

She brought him into a tight embrace. Holding his head against her shoulder, she said, "That was wrong of him. He should have never threatened you with such a thing."

"Yes, well."

Letting him go finally, Andromeda brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "I don't know if you've told anyone else about your mother over the course of your life, but I want you to know that I won't say a word to anyone about her – even after you're grown again."

Lucius didn't say anything, though relief softened the corners of his eyes. Their gazes still connected, he asked, "When do you think we'll be grown again? Has anyone written you back?"

She sighed. "Yes, but they've had little to offer."

Frowning, Lucius asked, "Do you think that's on purpose?"

"I don't know," Andromeda replied. Bringing a hand to her temples, she massaged them with the tip of her fingers as she thought about how honest to be with the boy in front of her. Draco was older – a man – but she could not help but think Lucius was far closer to an equal than his son. She didn't like it, but she felt they understood one another far better than either of them understood Draco or Narcissa. Perhaps it was why they never got along. They were quite alike. Too alike, even. "I pray not," she finally whispered.

Lucius's steely eyes studied her for a moment. Finally, he suggested, "Try writing them one more time." Something a little wicked curling his lips, he said, "If they still have nothing, contact that boy who came to see Teddy. Narcissa thinks he's very important to the good side," he cocked his head in a questioning manner, "she's right, isn't she?"

Andromeda nodded, feeling a little dumbfounded. He was too clever by half. "They say he killed the Dark Lord. He's _the_ most important man in our world right now."

The boy grinned with self-satisfaction. "I bet a letter from _him_ will move things along."

"We can give it a try," Andromeda agreed. It was not actually a bad plan. Lucius was right, it probably would move things along one way or another. They would either fix this or find out that it was permanent.


	8. Chapter 8

"You are good with children."

Draco didn't look up from tucking in his sleeping mother, but he did pause for a moment. He smoothed the duvet around Narcissa's shoulders one last time before standing up. And, then, to prove her point, he kept his lips firmly shut and gave a pointed look to the empty hallway just behind Andromeda. 'He will make an excellent father,' she thought. Nodding her understanding, she stepped out. Keeping a hand on the doorknob, Andromeda waited for Draco to exit the room before closing the door.

When they were outside Nymphadora's bedroom, staring at one another, eye to eye, Draco said, "I wouldn't say I'm good with children. Little girls, maybe. Mum is the only girl I've spent any extended amount of time with." He looked away, expression wistful. "On occasion, I'd spend an afternoon with the Crabbes and they have a young daughter, Lissie. She's eight now. Mrs. Crabbe sometimes would leave her alone with Vincent and I for a short time while she ran errands."

The corner of his lips upturned from what could only be a fond memory. "She wasn't half as clever as Mum. But it was easy enough to please her. You just had to tell Lissie her pigtails looked darling or that you liked her doll and then she would be more than happy to just play by your feet and not bother you much, if at all." The smile that had just begun to brighten Draco's face ran away suddenly. "Probably won't see her again. Vincent's dead. Can't imagine her parents will let me anywhere near her anymore.

Andromeda fought back the urge to sob. For who she'd be crying, she was not sure. Both the Crabbe family and Draco more than deserved her tears. Thickly, she whispered, "Even so, I think you would make an excellent father."

Draco's face only darkened. Andromeda began to fret, even opened her mouth to apologize for upsetting him, when the gloom cleared away from her nephew's countenance altogether. "Thank you, Aunt Andromeda." Nodding his head, he said, "I'll see you in the morning."

She watched him walk across the hall and slip into his and Lucius's room. Standing there in the hallway a beat longer, Andromeda reached for her locket. Twisting the chain between her fingers, she feared for what the morning would hold.

-o-O-o-

Bouncing a squalling Teddy in her arms as she attempted to get her blasted owl to release the letters it held in his beak, Andromeda turned around and snapped at her child-sister and brother-in-law, "Stop your bickering!"

Predictably, the two ignored her. Lucius stood up, holding what was currently the last piece of toast out of Narcissa's reach. Scrambling to stand up in her chair, Narcissa cried, "That's mine! You already had two slices!"

Stepping away from the table, the boy yelled back, "I know how you eat your toast, Narcissa Black! You smother it in butter and marmalade. You already ate more than your share of the sausage, if you eat this too you'll start to get fat!"

The little girl made an indignant noise as she leaned so far over the breakfast table she nearly slipped right off her chair and into the remains of their breakfast.

Andromeda yelped as her owl nipped her. Uncaring of if her letters would be in one piece or not anymore, she tore them from the owl's beak. It shrieked at her. "Like you didn't deserve it! The next time you're difficult I'll have you for dinner!" she growled at the bird.

It made more angry noises at her before flying off, leaving Andromeda with a smarting hand, torn letters, and Teddy still whining in her ears. Tossing the letters down on the counter by the sink, she whirled around and roared, "That is _enough_!"

The children froze mid-action as Teddy's cries doubled in volume. Feeling more at a loss than she had since hearing word of her daughter and son-in-law's deaths, she could only look about the messy room in dismay. It took far longer than she would ever care to admit for her to notice something (someone) was missing from it. "Where is Draco?" she asked.

Narcissa looked to Lucius, who looked to the ceiling. Andromeda frowned. "Children," she chided.

Her little sister's form went even more rigid, but her eyes did not leave Lucius. The boy stared harder, silently, at the ceiling. She did not like this. Teddy still sobbing away, she moved across the room to set him in his chair. She first brought her sister close, forced the girl to look her in the eye. "Where is Draco?" she asked again.

The little girl's expression was fraught with fear. "Dunno," she whispered.

She believed the girl. Letting her go, she turned her attention to Lucius. She pulled him down from the chair he still stood on. Unlike Narcissa, who'd been too scared to disobey, Lucius glared at her. He was not afraid of her, or, at least, he wasn't afraid of what she could do to _him_. Even as a child, it seemed he was not the type who feared for himself. Nothing she could threaten to do to him would make him speak.

Andromeda snapped her fingers in the direction of her little sister. "Narcissa!"

The girl stepped within her reach. Grabbing the girl by her braid, she hissed, "Where is Draco, Lucius?"

His eyes darted between her and Narcissa.

She did not want to hurt her sister. Not this little girl who still loved all and could overlook faults and mistakes. But… She would. Narcissa, if she was the woman she should be, would want her to. That, Andromeda, is certain of. Her sister had learned over the years to stop fearing for herself and now only feared for her son. Narcissa would undoubtedly rather have her son safe over herself unharmed.

"Left," Lucius finally croaked. "Don't know where. Said he was going to talk to someone who might be able to fix us."

"Who?" she demanded.

The boy shook his head.

Andromeda tightened her grip on Narcissa's braid, causing the girl to whimper. Lucius, eyes blown wide, whispered, "He didn't say a name. Just that they were a friend's mother."

She let go of her sister.

"Thank you."

Lucius ignored her in favor of bringing Narcissa into his arms. He held her as she sniffled into his shoulder, staring at Andromeda as if he'd never seen her in his life. Feeling spiteful, angry, and scared, she bit out, "A Black I may not be in name, but one I am still!"

He huddled more protectively around Narcissa in response. Sighing, Andromeda covered her face with her hands for a moment. Then, she turned her attention to her still wailing grandson. Not looking at her sister or brother-in-law, she ordered, "Go get cleaned up. I need to find Draco before anyone else does."

She kept her back to them as she listened for the pair leaving the kitchen and going up the stairs to their respective rooms. Grandson now in her arms, Andromeda took a deep breath.

"Shh… Shh, my love."


	9. Chapter 9

"Please," she begged.

Lyall, standing broomstick straight in the threshold of his front door, stared at her. At _them._ At the sullen face of a pre-teen Lucius Malfoy. At a girl Narcissa Malfoy, who Andromeda could see out of the corner of her eye was worrying her lip in a nervous manner. As he began to stir, Teddy puffed a series of warm breathes against the exposed skin of her neck. Before he could begin to whine, Andromeda began to jog the baby against her shoulder.

Desperate, she said, "I need to find him before he gets himself killed." Quieter, she added, "You know as well as I what it is like to lose a child. Don't let them suffer the same pain."

For a brief moment, outrage began to deepen the lines around his eyes. But it abruptly disappeared and was replaced with a sad resignation. He held out his hands for his grandson. "I can watch them all," he said.

Andromeda sagged with relief. Passing Teddy to the man, she then took the satchel off her shoulder and handed it to him. "This has all the necessities," she explained. Then, turning to the older children, she put a hand on each of their shoulders and told them, "You will behave for Mr. Lupin."

Narcissa looked close to tears, but nodded her head. Andromeda sighed. Reaching out, she gently pulled her little sister's lip away from her teeth. "You're going to accidentally bite yourself," she chided.

"Sorry," the little girl whispered.

She brought the girl in for a quick embrace. "I'll be back with Draco before you know it."

"I'm coming with you," Lucius proclaimed just as she let go of Narcissa.

Andromeda's eyes shot to the boy. "Absolutely not," she said.

His glare intensified. "I'm not going to be left behind like a little kid."

Taking a deep breath, she wondered why it was Lucius always had to be difficult. "Having to take you along will slow finding Draco down," she told him.

"No one is going to want to talk to a blood-traitor like you," he spat.

In front of them, Lyalls sucked in a harsh breath as Narcissa hissed, "Lucius!"

Andromeda considered the boy. He may have a point. She'd been on the other side of the war. How many were truly going to believe she was looking for Draco out of the good of her heart? They'd probably think her some kind of jailer when she told them she was searching for the young man. Those she talked to might be difficult to waste time so that Draco could "escape" her once and for all.

"How many do you think will recognize you?" she asked him.

He squared his shoulders. "Enough," he declared.

Enough was likely the right answer. She nodded. "Alright," she agreed.

Lucius blinked, a look of startled astonishment on his face. She would have smirked, were things not so serious. Such a look of surprise on Lucius Malfoy's face (no matter the age) was highly amusing.

Turning her attention to her little sister, Lyall, and Teddy, she told them, "I will try and fire call you later if I have the chance to let you know how things are going."

Reaching out for her sister, Lyall put a hand on Narcissa's shoulder and bid them goodbye, "That's fine. We'll see you two later. Be careful."

"Lucius," Narcissa whimpered.

Beside her, the boy's eyes softened. He took one of Narcissa's hands and gave it a brief squeeze. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm going to find you Draco. Take care of your nephew."

Her lip still wobbled, but Narcissa's eyes took on a look of steely determination. "I will. Stay safe."

"Lucius, we need to leave," Andromeda whispered.

The boy returned to her side. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she apparated them to their next destination.

-O-

Andromeda did not know much about her nephew, such as who his friends were, but from what little he had said over the past week was enough for her to be certain the Crabbe family was a good starting point for finding out who the young man had gone to see. Dogging her every step, Lucius said, "This place looks familiar. Who's manor is this?"

"The Crabbes," Andromeda answered.

He squinted at the home. "They've painted the window trim and pillars a different color."

"Perhaps the Crabbe you knew decided to paint it a different color after he married," she said.

Lucius scoffed. "That bloke thinks you can wear brown shoes with black robes. I doubt this was his work."

"Then his wife must have done it," Andromeda snapped, annoyed with this petty nonsense talking she was being forced to make.

The boy, picking up on her irritation, thinned his lips into little more than a line and turned his head away.

Andromeda sighed. "Lucius–"

"I'm done talking to you ."

Too near the door now to try and make things right, Andromeda let the subject drop as she knocked on the door. A moment later, it swung open to reveal a small house elf.

"Good morning, Madam and Master. How cans I help you?" the elf asked.

"May we speak to Mr. or Mrs. Crabbe?"

The elf shifted uneasily. "Mr. and Mrs. Crabbe are not heres. Wills Mrs. Crabbe the elder do?"

Andromeda supposed she should have expected as much. The Crabbe's son had been a Death Eater. Like their son, they had probably been at the Battle. Perhaps they were being detained and waiting for trial even. She nodded at the elf. "Yes, thank you."

In response, to her answer, the elf stepped aside. "Comes in," it said. "I'll takes you to the drawing room and tells Mrs. Crabbe the elder, yous here."

Following the elf further into the Crabbe home, Andromeda tried to keep her gawking to a minimum, but could not help but note the ways it differed from the fuzzy memories of her youth. The walls were a richer, darker brown than she recalled. The furniture and decor, while well-kept, appeared to be on the worn and older side of things. She had to wonder if the Crabbes had not been in the middle of revitalizing their home when the war came.

"Heres we are," the elf said. "Please sit, Madam and Master. Be backs soon," the elf said.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before reluctantly taking a seat on the same art nouveau-patterned sofa. A couple of minutes of silence then passed, neither willing to speak to the other. Then, just as Andromeda was beginning to gather the nerve to say something to Lucius, a short, plump woman bustled into the room.

She stopped short of the armchair across from their sofa. "My," she said. "I never thought I would see you again." She cocked her head. "Who is this lad? He looks just like a Malfoy. Is he a spare they gave away to you?"

"No," Andromeda replied.

The woman was quiet for a moment, hopefully waiting for Andromeda to explain. She did not. Sighing, Mrs. Crabbe the elder came and finally sat down.

"Griffith," she called, "bring us some tea."

The elf bowed to the woman. "Yes, Mrs. Crabbe."

Folding her hands daintily in her lap, she then turned her attention to them. "What is it that has brought you to my family's home?"

"My nephew," Andromeda answered. "He… Left my home without informing me of whom he was going to visit exactly about locating his parents." At the gleeful, vicious gleam she saw growing in the old woman's eye, she added, "I do know it is the mother of a mate he's gone to visit." Turning her gaze to her lap, she lied, "I was busy with my grandson at the time he left. I did not think to ask the name of the mother. I fear my mistake will cost my nephew." Lifting her eyes once more, she inquired, "He did mention your family in passing. I was hoping that you may know the names of the families which his other friends come from?"

The old woman made moue of disappointment. "I do not," she answered. "My son never much spoke of Vincent's friends. Though…" her fingers tapped a speculative rhythm along her jaw. "Let me call for Elizabeth. She liked to collect her brother's letters from Hogwarts. I'm sure she can recite their names for you."

Andromeda tensed. The last thing that little girl needed was to be paraded before them to recite the names of her dead brother's friends. "That's not neccesary–"

"Nonsense! Griffith!"

The elf reappeared, a tray of tea in hand. "Yes, Mrs. Crabbe?"

She pointed for the elf to set the tray down on the little table between them as she said, "Tell Elizabeth I request her presence in the guest drawing room."

Taking the cups of tea as they were handed them, Andromeda and Lucius cradle the warm ceramic in their hands, waiting in uneasy silence for the little girl to appear. Thankfully, it did not take long.

Soon, a pudgy-faced girl just a smidge younger than Narcissa was now walked stiffly into the room. Eyes rimmed red, she whispered, "Yes, Grandmother?"

Mrs. Crabbe gesture to Andromeda. "This lady wishes to know the names of Vincent's mates."

The child's face became stricken. It was obvious the last thing she wanted to do was be forced to name all of the mates of her late brother. "G-Grandmother…"

"Now, Elizabeth! Do not leave them waiting!" Mrs. Crabbe snapped.

Eyes wide and wet, the child, began to stammer, "V-Vince's m-m-mates were-were-were–"

"Elizabeth! Stop this stuttering immediately! You sound like a fool!"

Tears started to fall from the child's big brown eyes. "There's D-Draco Malf-f-f–"

Andromeda's heart was breaking into smaller and smaller pieces with every syllable the child tried to choke out. She wanted to stop the child, soothe her, hold her, promise her everything would get better. But she feared if she stopped Lissie now she would never get the answers she needed to find Draco.

Lucius, however, had no qualms about putting a stop to the torture of the little girl. He put down his cup of tea and got to his feet. Andromeda watched, frozen to her spot on the sofa, as he came to stand centimeters from the little girl. Crouching ever so slightly, he said, "I am Lu–cas."

"Lissie," the little girl whispered, tears now trailing down her nose.

He nodded. "It's is nice to meet you," Lucius replied.

The girl only sniffled in an answer.

In a gentle voice she'd only previously heard him use with Narcissa, he told the girl, "Now, Lissie, I'm going to list off some families. Do you think you can nod your head if a friend of Vincent came from one of the families I name?"

The child shook with suppressed sobs, but nonetheless nodded her head in agreement.

Lucius's form relaxed minutely with relief. "Okay," he said, "Wilkes?"

No reaction from the child.

"Goyle?"

Nod.

"Montague? Greengrass? Parkinson? Channing? Pucey? Bulstrode? Flint? Nott?"

Nothing. Nod. Nod. Nothing. Nothing. Nod. Nothing. Nod.

Lucius took a deep breath. "Am I missing anyone?"

"Z-Zabini and Davis," she murmured. "Wrote about a Richmond on occasion too." Shaking now, the girl hiccupped, "V-Vince asked Mother if she thought it would be a good idea if he asked her on a d-d-date to H-Hogsmeade in his last letter."

"Thank you, Lissie," Lucius whispered. "You've helped us more than you know." Turning his attention back to Andromeda, the boy, said, "Let's go. We need to find him."

Setting her tea down. She got to her feet and began to follow Lucius out of the room, past the sobbing Lissie and stunned Mrs. Crabbe. However, she took a moment to pause beside the older woman.

"It's quite despicable," she said, "to upset an innocent child like that for your own sadistic pleasure and vengeance."

The woman just stared at her. Snorting once, Andromeda turned away and followed Lucius out.


	10. Chapter 10

The Parkinsons were not home when they visited their manor, a young man Draco's age answered the door at the Nott Estate and promptly closed it on Lucius and Andromeda upon recognizing her. No amount of knocking and pleading would make him open the door again. They made a short stop back at Andromeda's home for lunch, checking to see if Draco had returned there (which he hadn't), as well as eat and notify Lyall of the morning's events (who seemed more relieved than disappointed that their search had gone so poorly). They then went to the Goyles home, an elf answered the door and after some back and forth reluctantly told them the Goyles were not in the country and after that, refused to say any more on the subject.

Eventually, Lucius decided for them that they were done with the elf when he began to walk away from the Goyle home, causing her to run after him. They had a short row about it, how he was the child, and he was to follow her, not the other way around. Lucius, infuriatingly enough, pointed out the idiocy of her words by pointing out they didn't have all day to argue with a house elf. Draco needed to be found  _before_ someone else found him.

Andromeda huffed and puffed a little after that, but relented to the boy's logic in the end. Next on their list of homes to visit was the Bulstrode's. It was going to take the better part of an hour to get to their home. When they finally reached their manor, like with the Goyles, an elf answered the door. However, instead of telling them no one was home, he brought them to a drawing room. There, a haggard woman Andromeda recognized as Emilia Bulstrode née Roper greeted them. They'd been friends, once upon a time. Then Andromeda married Ted and Emilia stopped writing to her.

"I didn't believe Pimbly when he said it was you at the door," said Emilia.

Andromeda averted her eyes. "Circumstances called for a personal visit."

"I can see that," Emilia replied, her gaze now fixated on Lucius who had finally stepped out from behind Andromeda. "Is that… Are you another son of the Malfoys?"

Lucius shook his head, face a shade paler than when they came into the Bulstrode manor. "No," he whispered.

Emilia had been a clever girl. It seemed age had not dulled that fact as she nodded. "It seems you've gotten yourself into quite the predicament then, Lucius."

He looked down and said nothing.

"That's why we're here. My nephew, Draco, left my home early today to speak to the mother of a friend about Lucius's situation. Unfortunately, he did not tell me in advance. I'm sure you can imagine what a poor decision that was on his part and why I'm trying to locate him as quickly as possible."

She smiled grimly at them. "Oh, you don't have to tell me. My husband and in-laws are in a just as precarious situation." Her eyes move away from them and to the left. "I managed to get my daughter out of the same trouble by the skin of my teeth."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Andromeda said politely.

Emilia's gaze snapped back to her. "I highly doubt that. It was my family and their cause that killed your loved ones."

Andromeda winced. Then, hesitantly, asked, "I don't suppose you have any ideas on who it was my nephew could have gone to see? We've already tried the Parkinsons, Notts, Goyles, and Crabbes."

She frowned at them for a time, then, with a defeated sigh, said, "Don't bother with the Greengrasses. They never had a direct involvement in the war. Oh, they supported the cause alright, but they didn't  _join_ it. No point in trying to see the Davis family either. The girl's mother is a Muggle. Wouldn't have been able to have any part in revenge like this on the Malfoys even if she wanted to. From what Millicent has told me, the Davis girl's father has been dead since she was a wee one too.

"Go see the Zabinis. You likely don't remember her, but Evangeline Zabini was a Channing. Like her husbands, all of the Channings except for her are dead now." Emilia wrung her hands together, a look of concern in her eyes. "She's a dangerous one, that woman. Don't let Lucius out of your sight and make sure you have your wand in your hands at all times."

She nodded, thankful that Emilia was willing to be so helpful after all that had happened in the years between the end of their friendship and now. "Thank you," Andromeda said.

"Don't mention it," Emilia whispered, then in a pleading tone, added, "Please. If this gets back to anyone…"

Stepping forward, Andromeda took her old friend's bony hands into hers and gave them a squeeze. "I won't, Emilia. I promise."

The woman relaxed. "Thank you."

Andromeda smiled and took a step back. "We'll see ourselves out."

-o-O-o-

Once they were truly alone and far from the Bulstrode home, Andromeda looked at Lucius and said, "Mrs. Zabini could be dangerous."

He frowned at her. "And…?"

"Perhaps it's best you go stay with Lyall for this visit," she told him.

"No," Lucius replied shortly.

Andromeda pursed her lips. This stubbornness of his was going to only lead to more trouble than she cared to deal with. "Lucius–"

"My father might not be a good one, but he has taught me to value family above all else," the boy informed her.

Exasperated, she snapped, "You don't know Draco as family! In fact, you hardly know him as a mate. Why are you so insistent you come?"

He met her gaze then. It was hard, yet strangely vulnerable. Quietly, he said, "I dream of him."

Andromeda went stiff in shock. "What?" she asked, not entirely sure she heard or understood correctly.

Lucius took a deep breath before starting. "I dream of a baby I'd watch for hours as he slept, hands furling and unfurling as he dreamed. Of a toddler I got on my knees to catch when he took his first steps. Of a little boy I'd take flying on my broom and carry to bed when he fell asleep waiting to say goodnight to me outside of my study." His voice became stronger, louder, as he told Andromeda, "I dream of a kid my age I let take a sip of my whiskey when Narcissa was visiting mates. He made the most ridiculous face, you know? Cheeks red and eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. I dream of Draco as he is now, thin and tired, sitting with me in one the drawing rooms as witches and wizards were being tortured in the dungeons beneath our feet."

Looking a little ill as he turned his gaze away from her, Lucius concluded, "I might not know everything about Draco, but I know enough to realize that even if I don't love him now as a father would, I  _did_ as an adult. I'm not going to let that adult down by letting his son come to more harm than he has to."

Andromeda sighed. This new revelation was both annoying and frustrating. Why had he not mentioned his dreams to her? Or, at the very least, why had Narcissa not said anything? Briefly, she wondered if the two knew the other was dreaming of their futures. If Draco knew his parents dreamt of him. The dreams could have been an indication of something, like whatever spell was cast on them wearing off, or a symptom of said spell. Perhaps if either child had mentioned their nightly visions to her, they could have had Lucius and Narcissa returned to themselves.

Maybe they wouldn't be here right now trying to find Draco before he got himself killed.

She glanced at the boy in front of her. He wasn't a man, but he had the impressions of being one. He also had impressions of being a father, of loving Draco. Forcing him to stand by as she went to the Zabinis would do him no good now, or when he was an adult again. Andromeda motioned for Lucius to step forward.

Grudgingly, he did so.

Andromeda grabbed Lucius's chin and forced him to stare her right in the eyes as she ordered, "If I tell you to do something, you will do as I say. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly."


	11. Chapter 11

When they reached the Zabini property, Andromeda began to dither. She didn't know how she wanted to approach the woman's villa, let alone ask after Draco. Standing on the outside of the Zabini's wrought iron gates, Andromeda stared at the large, Georgian-style home and thought how deceptive outside appearances could be.

The home was lovely. Magnificent, even. It was bright white with red-brick accents around the home's door. If she didn't know better, Andromeda would believe a happy, light family lived within. She glanced at Lucius. And if she had never known Lucius, nor knew about the situation he was in, she would think him a typical, posh Pureblood boy. Why Andromeda ever trusted her eyes anymore, she didn't know. They were liars.

"Why are we just standing here?" Lucius finally demanded.

Andromeda thinned her mouth into a line. "As Emilia warned us, Mrs. Zabini is not a witch to approach without a plan." She shot the boy a glare. "I am thinking of one."

He frowned, but in a speculative way. "We need her to think we came here more prepared than we actually did," he finally said.

"Oh?" Andromeda asked, quirking an eyebrow in surprise.

Lucius nodded. "Yes. It will throw her off." He looks up at her. "I don't remember her. Not as a Zabini, a Channing, or any other name she may have gone by in the past. But…" he trailed off.

Nerves getting to her, Andromeda demanded, "What? What do you recall?" Then, angrily, she hissed, "What else are you keeping from me?"

"I owe you nothing," Lucius snapped back. "What I know and remember is  _mine,_ not yours, to know." Then after a moment of tense silence, he said, "I do recall her son. Vaguely. He wanted to be a Death Eater. I… I talked him out of it."

Andromeda didn't have the time to stop her jaw from dropping open.

Lucius huffed a breath of annoyance. Evidently not pleased with her reaction. "It was  _terrible_ toward the end. I couldn't stop Draco from becoming a Death Eater unless I wanted my family killed for being traitors, but the Zabini son? I could save him."

She didn't know what to say. To think. There was no denying Lucius was still a bigot. Still more bad than good. But he'd quite possibly saved a boy from a life of regret. Finally, Andromeda asked, "Does Mrs. Zabini know you did this?"

He looked toward the villa and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. It feels like something I didn't keep to myself." He rubs a hand across his face. "Even if I probably should have."

Andromeda nodded. While Lucius had kept much more to himself than she preferred this past couple of weeks, when he did speak, he was surprisingly honest with her. She felt safe trusting his words. Optimistically, she said, "Perhaps our meeting with Mrs. Zabini will not be as dangerous as Emilia feared."

He did not return her hopefulness. Wearing a sneer that told Andromeda exactly what he thought of her intelligence, Lucius replied, " _Perhaps._ "

Not letting the boy deter her, she pushed open the gate and began to walk the long, curving path of the Zabini's villa. Thankfully, Lucius followed close behind, no more than an arm's reach from her. She was relieved he was treating this as a potentially perilous situation.

When they reached the Zabini's front door, it swung open. Instead of a house elf being on the other side, there was a tall, beautiful woman. Only the beginnings of marionette lines around her mouth hinted at her being anything older than a day over thirty-five. "I've been waiting for you," she said, her deep red lips pulling in a sly, not-so-friendly smile.

"Mrs. Zabini," Andromeda replied politely. She offered the other woman her hand to shake.

The woman gave Andromeda's hand a brief squeeze. "Evangeline," she corrected. "Being called Mrs. Zabini just makes me miss my late husband more than I already do," she told her, batting her eyes as if she were trying to blink back tears. Her gaze then drifted to Lucius. With him, all pretense for grief seemed to go out the window. "Is that you, Lucius? My, don't you make a handsome boy."

Lucius frowned, but otherwise gave no other indication that the woman's attention made him uncomfortable.

"Mrs.–" Andromeda sighed. "Evangeline," she said, regaining the other woman's attention. "I came by to inquire if you have seen my nephew, Draco. He told me he was going to visit a mate's mother today, but while tending to my grandson, I completely forgot to ask for her name." While she had difficulty believing this woman was a mother at all, let alone one to a seventeen-year-old boy, Andromeda still tried to play on any sympathies she may have for a boy the same age as her son. "As I am sure you are aware, he is in a rather delicate situation and it is best that I find him and bring him to my home before someone else does."

Mrs. Zabini smiled. "He is here," she said. "We were waiting for you, in fact. " She stepped forward, looking around Andromeda a little more carefully. "It's a shame you didn't bring Narcissa with you."

Andromeda felt her gut churn. "Oh?" she murmured weakly.

The woman nodded. "Yes. I am sure it would have been a beautiful sight to see her face when I explain everything." Mrs. Zabini tossed a cutting smile Andromeda's way. "They always did say she was the true beauty of you Black girls."

She did her best not to flinch. It had been years since anyone compared to her sisters. "She is quite young," she replied. "I thought it best to leave her in the capable hands of a minder along with her great-nephew."

Mrs. Zabini gave a prim sniff. "I suppose." Turning back into her house, she said, "Come along. We've kept Draco waiting long enough."

Andromeda was about to step past the threshold when a small hand wrapped around her wrist, holding her in place. "No, you can bring Draco to  _us_ ," he declared. "We promised Narcissa and Teddy's minder we would return from  _your_ house in less than a quarter of an hour from now. If we don't, they are to call aurors to come looking for us." Eyes frightfully dangerous, Lucius hissed, "And you know  _exactly_ what will happen when he does."

A flash of undeniable, pure, hateful rage crossed Mrs. Zabini's face. Andromeda stepped in front of her brother-in-law. She would protect him for no other reason than not to break her little sister's heart. Narcissa could and has lived without Andromeda. But Lucius? The girl looks at Lucius as if he's the one who painted the constellations Blacks are named for in the nighttime sky. Without him, she'll never be the same again.

Face now unreadable and blank, Mrs. Zabini said, "Of course." Hands folded demurely in front of her, she told them, "It will be just a moment."

She disappeared around the edge of her open door, leaving the two of them alone. Andromeda wondered for a moment if she hoped they would peek inside. Perhaps come in, even after Lucius refused for them. They don't.

What feels like an age and a half later, Mrs. Zabini reappears with a shell-shocked Draco beside her.

"Draco?" Andromeda called softly.

He looked at her, but said nothing.

Lucius crossed his arms. "Say something!" he barked.

This appeared to snap the young man out of his stupor. Looking at his child-father, he crumpled. "I'm sorry," he warbled.

Mrs. Zabini, behind him, rolled her eyes. "You have all overstayed your welcome," she grumbled. "Leave."

Stumbling out of the villa and into Andromeda's open arms, Draco let her hold him for a moment. Over her nephew's shoulder, she asked, "Didn't you say you were going to explain everything?"

Stone-faced, Mrs. Zabini only pursed her lips before she slammed the door of her home shut.

Andromeda sighed. When it became clear the door was not going to open again, she pulled her nephew away from her and questioned, "What happened? Why did you come here?"

He shook. "She did this," Draco whispered. Tears swimming in his eyes, he explained: "She said it's my fault and it's irreversible."

Andromeda, struck dumb, could only turn her astonished gaze on Lucius. What might he think of this news? Surprisingly, his expression was not one of shock, but grim validation instead.

 _Why_? What more was this damn boy keeping from her?


	12. Chapter 12

The three of them went home. Andromeda pushed Draco into the sofa and said, "Sit." Then, turning a stern glare she had used a hundred thousand times on her beautiful, clumsy, willful daughter, she told Lucius, "Stay here." Feeling sufficiently confident her order would be followed, she left the boys to go to her fireplace. Throwing in a bit of floo powder, she called out Lyall's address before stepping into the green flames.

A moment later, she was stepping into his small, slightly dingy kitchen. A moment later, his head popped in from the doorway. "Hello there," he greets. "Just got the wee one down for a kip. Narcissa's being a dear and keeping watch over him."

She nodded, but said nothing.

Lyall frowned for a moment. Then, hesitantly, asked, "Is everything alright? I see you don't have either of the lads with you…"

Unbidden, she began to cry. Not softly, either. Her sobs were wretched to her own ears with their piercing quality. As she shoved a hand in her mouth to try and muffle their volume, Lyall frantically drew his wand and cast a silencing charm on the doorway to the kitchen. The man then came to her side and begged, "Ah, ah, don't cry. I've never been much good with crying birds. I'd say ask my wife, but…" he bit his lip.

Andromeda's cries only grew in quantity. That was right, just like her, Lyall had lost his spouse. Even worse, he'd lost his son too. Like she lost her daughter. He –  _they_ – were all alone but for their grandson. She had not given it much thought, but she would have to make sure she reached out consistently to set up dates and times for the man to visit with Teddy.

"Come now," he sighed, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Shh, shh, calm down."

Slowly, with the help of Lyall's gentle words and warm embrace, Andromeda did. When her emotions were once again on an even keel she said, "Mrs. Zabini said it was irreversible."

Lyall blinked. Then, slowly, he asked, "Do you… Do you think she was telling the truth?"

She shook her head helplessly. "I don't know," Andromeda answered honestly. "I… She had wanted our visit to go a certain way, I think. Of course, it didn't. We – Oh, who am I fooling?  _Lucius_ did not let it go that way." Hugging herself now, she whispered, "Then she brought out Draco to us. Thank Merlin for that. I don't know what she said exactly to him yet, but she did impress upon him that what happened to Lucius and Narcissa is irreversible."

He was quiet for a time. "You think she could have been lying."

"That is what I hope, yes," Andromeda agreed.

Lyall's gaze turned speculative. "Think we ought to talk to the aurors in charge of Lucius and Narcissa's case?"

Andromeda bit her lip. "I don't know," she confessed. "I'm half afraid if I do they'll give up on trying to fix this and I'll be left to raise them alongside Teddy as much older siblings." She lowered her eyes. "I'd do it, but it feels wrong. Enough children have been orphaned. I don't want to add Draco to the list."

He nodded along as if Andromeda's rambling made all the sense in the world. She felt inexplicably thankful for it and thought she might someday think of Lyall as a dear friend. "Not to mention the poor lad is likely to get the brunt of the hate for the Malfoys since your sister and her husband are now just young ones." Scratching his scruffy beard, he said, "Would you like me to hold onto Teddy and your sister a bit longer? Might get a better answer out of the lads if she's not around."

Relief flooded through her. "Yes, please," she answered. "Would it be alright if I checked in on them for a moment before I go back?"

He stepped aside and motioned in the direction of the hall outside the kitchen. "Go on," he said. "I don't mind."

Andromeda hurried past Lyall, but before she left the room altogether, she looked back at him and whispered, "Thank you, Lyall. Thank you so much for all that you're doing for me."

He smiled at her in a self-deprecating way that reminded her greatly of Remus. "'S no trouble. Especially since it's all I got to offer you in the way of help."

She forced a grin and tried to lift his spirits. "I promise it's greatly appreciated. You've been wonderfully nonjudgmental and kind to me and the children."

Lyall ducked his head and Andromeda quickly hurried out to leave him to recover. Walking down the hall a little ways, she noticed the slightly ajar door on the right and poked her head in. Inside the bedroom she saw Narcissa's slim frame curled on the bed pushed against the back wall.

"'Cissa?" she called.

The girl's head lifted and she looked over her shoulder. Her eyes lit up. "Hello, Andromeda," she whispered. "I'm watching Teddy."

Walking into the room, she took note of the vintage band posters on the walls and the desk under the window holding pictures of young men she knew to be Remus and his friends. She wondered if this had not been his bedroom once upon a time. Perhaps it had been even once grown, given his condition. Lyall and his wife had likely hosted their son on occasion when he was strapped for cash or couldn't find a flat to rent.

"You're doing a lovely job," she praised.

Carefully, the girl pushed herself up. "Did you find Draco?" she asked.

"Yes," Andromeda answered. "He's at home with Lucius."

Narcissa glanced to Teddy. "Mister Lupin just put Teddy down. D'you think if we move him he'll wake up?"

"Actually, I need to have a bit of a private chat with Draco and Lucius. Would you mind staying here at Mr. Lupin's a bit longer with Teddy? I promise you'd be home in time for bed."

The child's face turned thoughtful. Finally, she shrugged. "Okay," she answered. "Did Draco find out anything while he was away?"

She sighed. "Perhaps," Andromeda replied. "When we found him, he was in a bit of a state. We didn't get much time to talk."

Narcissa started to chew on her lip.

"Stop that," Andromeda chided, reaching out to gently pull the girl's lip out from between her teeth.

Eyes big and scared, she whispered, "It must have been bad what he found, right? Why else would Draco have been upset?"

Andromeda was quiet for a moment. Then, softly, she reassured her little sister, "Even if it's bad news we won't give up on fixing you and Lucius. I promise."

The girl relaxed slightly. "Alright."

For a moment, she hesitated. Then, leaning in, she pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead and said, "Be a good girl for Mister Lupin now."

"Yes, Andy."

-o-O-o-

Draco glanced out of the corner of his eye at his father every minute or so. Neither of them had so much as said a word since Aunt Andromeda left and he was starting to grow tired of this silence. As for Father, he must have gotten sick of Draco's looking, as he turned his head and glared at him. "Stop that," he ordered.

"You knew, didn't you?" he demanded.

Lucius frowned and faced forward again. "I don't know what you're on about."

"You talk in your sleep."

The boy went rigid. Even so, he did not look at Draco. Instead, his father murmured in an icy voice, "Oh?"

"Yes." Considering the boy, Draco went on, "I heard you say Blaise's name once."

A slight frown overtook his child-father's face.

"It's why I went to his mum. " Then, uneasily, Draco asked, "What Mrs. Zabini did… It wasn't meant to be punishment for you and mum, was it?"

"She killed two owls with one spell," his father acquiesced after a pause.

Draco licked his lips. He'd not quite believed Blaise's mother when she said it and now he was starting to really hope ( _believe_ ) that she was a liar. "Is this really permanent?"

Lucius crossed his legs and turned his body away from Draco. "Andromeda should be back with Teddy and Narcissa soon."

He scowled. "You're not going to get out of this," Draco warned. "I will tell Aunt Andromeda everything I know if you don't start talking soon."

The boy huffed a breath of disbelief.

Draco didn't press anymore. He was quite sure his child-father's reaction was more bravado than honest to Godric stubbornness. Like his mother, Draco knew how to use patience when it suited him and he could wait for the answers he (and Aunt Andromeda, honestly) deserved.


	13. Chapter 13

Andromeda was relieved to find that Draco and Lucius were exactly where she left them half an hour ago. While Draco stared straight at her with a worryingly determined glint to his red-rimmed eyes, Lucius craned his neck to look around her. There was little worth smiling about right now, but nonetheless, she did at the boy. He was painfully obvious and it amused her.

"I left Narcissa and Teddy at Lyall's for a little while longer," she explained.

Lucius instantly settled and his face turned into mask of indifference. She shook her head lightly at the action and summoned a chair over to her. Walking closer to the boys with it in hand, she set it just out of Lucius's striking distance and sat down. Feigning a calm she truly didn't feel, Andromeda cupped her hands together in her lap and said, "The three of us need to have a chat about what happened today." She gave her nephew an especially pointed look. "And about how leaving our home without me is a very poor idea at this time."

Lucius scoffed while Draco began to chew his lower lip. Andromeda resisted the urge to pull it right out from between his teeth. "I'm sorry," Draco said after a moment. "I heard him talking in his sleep last night and couldn't wait."

Her gaze moved to the boy, eyebrow raised. Lucius looked down at his knees.

Andromeda sighed. "What is it that your father said that spurred you to visit Mrs. Zabini?" She held up her thumb and pointer to indicate a very little amount. "From what I've been told, she is this close to going around the bend and is already dangerous."

"He said the name of a classmate – Blaise – Mrs. Zabini's son. He was going to take the mark, like some of us had, but backed out suddenly before he finalized a meeting with the Lord. I realized Dad may have had something to do with that and I wanted to see Mrs. Zabini and find out if she knew anything about what's going on."

She nodded at her nephew's explanation. Andromeda was still not happy with him, but she was almost ready to believe Draco running off like he did really was his desperation getting the better of him. It would be understandable, even. But Andromeda was no fool, she knew there more not being said. "Surely he said more than your classmate's name. I cannot believe that alone would have made you leave without so much as an explanation."

Draco turned his gaze on Lucius and bore into him. "No, he said more."

Furrowing her brow, Andromeda tried to discern what exactly was going on. Why did the young man look like he was urging his child-father to speak? Had Lucius said something to Draco while she was away? Following her nephew's example, she narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law and stared silently.

After a moment, the boy frowned. "I might have a part in why Blaise is not marked like Draco is," he said.

" _Might_?" Draco and she replied in tandem with thick incredulity. Lucius either did or did not have a role in why Mrs. Zabini's son walked freely around the wizarding world. There was no might or maybes about it!

His frown deepened into a scowl. "It's not as if I imperius'd him into saying 'No, thank you'! I just told him the truth of the mark and what comes with it!"

Andromeda began to kneed her temples. Why did Lucius have to make everything a struggle? If he'd just answer her questions fully rather than make her fight for every scrap of information, perhaps he could be himself rather than this  _child_. "How does this tie into your condition?"

"Zabini's mother was thankful. She's put a lot of effort into making her son into the kind of heir she wanted. Him being a Death Eater was never a part of her plan."

"Turning you into a child is a sign of  _gratitude_?" She sneered. It was utter bollocks, that was what it was. When was the boy going to learn to stop lying?

Lucius glowered at her, letting her know he didn't appreciate her doubt one whit. "We didn't know this is what she had planned!" he snapped, fingers digging into the cushion of the sofa he sat on

Andromeda threw up her hands. "Why in Merlin's name not?" demanded she. She grabbed his chin and forced him to meet her gaze. "Damn it, Lucius, shouldn't you know by now to question things like this?"

He wrenched himself out of her hold and turned his head. Hunching in on himself, he mumbled, "We just wanted to live. All of us, if possible, me, Narcissa, and Draco. Zabini said her potion would let that happen, so we took it." Lucius lifted his gaze to meet hers briefly. Heartbreak, disgust, and anger mingled in his eyes. "I reckon she thought once we started to remember we'd run away from you and go somewhere else in the world to start anew. But we didn't and we  _won't_." His gaze flickered to his son. "Not without Draco."

"Okay, so if she expected you two to run away without me, what was supposed to happen to me?"

Her child brother-in-law shifted uncomfortably in his seat and refused to answer.

"Lucius," Andromeda growled through clenched teeth. They were  _so close_ to having all of the answers they needed. She was not about to let this one go – especially since it was Draco seeking the answer. He deserved to know where he fit into this puzzle his parents and Mrs. Zabini made more than anyone else.

Shame-faced, the boy replied, "I imagine Zabini hoped with us gone the Ministry would punish you more severely as the only Malfoy left."

Andromeda did see the plausibility of what Lucius was saying. It even made sense to a degree. The Malfoys had always been a slippery sort who went to great lengths to avoid the consequences of their actions and to believe Lucius and Narcissa would be willing to leave their son behind to start again somewhere else was quite reasonable. Until you recalled that Malfoys had never sold out one of their own. When one Malfoy cocked things up, they all came together to fix it as much as it was possible in a given situation.

They were loyal to their own and there was absolutely no way Lucius or Narcissa would ever leave behind Draco to take the brunt of the public's anger.

Taking a deep breath, Andromeda collected her thoughts. Then, she asked, "Is it true? Is this permanent? Will you have to grow up again? Or is there a way to turn you back?"

Lucius looked very much like a lost child as he stared back at her. Quietly, he replied, "I… I don't know." His fingers sunk deeper into the cushions of sofa and Andromeda wondered if it'd start to tear soon. "I think… I think the only one who knows is Zabini."


	14. Chapter 14

She watched her sister with Teddy. Narciss hummed him a lullaby as he fussily shook his tiny fists. The girl didn't seem worried about his discontent and instead took one of his little hands in her own and encouraged him to grab ahold of one of her fingers. Once Teddy's hand was wrapped around her pointer, Narcissa began to sway into to the rhythm of the lullaby she was humming to the baby. Slowly, but surely, Andromeda's grandson settled and dropped off to sleep.

Narcissa was a natural with him. Or, more likely, an old-hand. If Lucius remembered things, why not Narcissa too? It'd be idiocy to think Lucius was the only one who'd regained his memories. Though, how much and what all he exactly remembered he had not shared with her. Andromeda thought at first when he said they had to go back to Mrs. Zabini's he must remember all, but she was not so sure anymore.

As they began to plan their return to Mrs. Zabini's home, Draco had referenced some event in the past where Mrs. Zabini and Lucius had both been present that offered insight on what  _not_ to say to the woman. Andromeda, not understanding the allusion, had looked to Lucius for an explanation. The boy's face was blank and Andromeda was sure she saw confusion flicker in his gaze before he nodded.

"Right," he had replied to Draco, saying no more about the event.

Draco hadn't appeared to notice, as he was already talking about something else, another logistic that needed covering if they truly wanted to return to the Zabini Estate. But Andromeda had and she tucked it away for further examination and possibly discussion.

Now seemed an opportune time to talk about how much Lucius (and Narcissa) remembered. And who better with than her little sister? Andromeda didn't know if she'd be any more honest with her than Lucius, but she held hope their old bond might work in her favor and make Narcissa more frank with her. Putting on a smile, she approached her sister and said, "You're good with him."

"He's an easy baby," replied she, handing the sleeping infant to Andromeda to hold.

Taking her grandson, she cuddled him close to her heart and said, "Thank you."

The little girl clasped her hands in her lap and asked, "Is there something you want, Andromeda?"

She paused a moment, considering her words. Taking a seat next to Narcissa on the sofa, she gave Teddy a light bounce when he whined in his sleep. "Yes, I…" Andromeda sighed. "How much do you remember exactly?"

Narcissa looked away. "Enough," she answered, her tone clipped and closed.

Frustration began to build in Andromeda's chest. She was tired of the children's evasiveness and refused to let it stand any longer. She grabbed hold of one of her sister's hands and squeezed it hard. "What does that  _mean_?" she demanded.

The girl tried to pull away, but she didn't let her. The girl raised her wide, outrage gaze to meet Andromeda's and demanded, "Let me go this instant."

"I  _deserve_ answers," she hissed instead. "I have let you into my home. The home I share with my defenseless grandson; all the family I have left!" Narcissa flinched at her words. "If you don't start talking soon, I  _will_  return you to the Aurors handling your case," Andromeda threatened.

Fear flashed across Narcissa's face and, for a moment, in spite of herself, Andromeda truly felt bad. Narcissa's big blue eyes set on her small girlish face tugged at heartstrings long since grown out of tune from disuse. But once the discordance of the pull and the knowledge of who this truly was and what was at stake mingled, all sympathy vanished. "Well?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"It's… It's spotty," the girl warbled. "There are some huge swaths I –  _we –_ remember. I recall most of my first four years at Hogwarts, Draco's early childhood and life then, while Lucius most of his last year at Hogwarts along with the years leading up to our marriage. There's little things missing here and there, we know, but nothing truly significant from those periods. Then there's just whole  _years_ missing with a memory two to hint at what happened between. I don't recall much of the last six years at all, Lucius has a break somewhere in the middle of the last seven, but he knows more than I do."

Andromeda was speechless. For a minute, she didn't do anything but try and absorb the new knowledge that even though he acted as if he knew everything, Lucius was just as in the dark about most everything. Merlin, he was putting up that know-it-all front all preteens do. As a mother, shouldn't she have seen right through?

"Do you think you two will recall the rest of your lives very soon?" she inquired after the ability to think critically and speak returned.

Narcissa bit her lip. "I don't… Perhaps. Chunks appear to come when we sleep. How much and of what isn't really something we've got a choice in, however."

She closed her eyes and breathed in. "Alright," she replied. Then, letting go of Narcissa's hand, she pulled her sister's lip from between her teeth. "Why don't you go clean up for supper now? I've got kidney pie in the oven."

All too happily, the girl got to her feet. "Yes, Andy," she agreed.

Andromeda watched Narcissa hurry from the drawing room, leaving her and Teddy all alone. She pressed a kiss to her sleeping grandson's head. Quietly, she murmured, "We've not got much time, but I'll think of something. Nothing is going to happen to any of them, Teddy. I'll make sure we don't lose one more person – even if it's them. Even if they were a part of what killed your mummy, daddy, and grandpa." She pulled his head away from her chest just enough so she could gaze down at his jowled face. "You deserve to have them around if only so you can ask why, why they had to hate your family so much. Why they had to be a part of what killed them." Andromeda traced the bridge of her grandson's nose. "If it was worth it in the end."

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of an experiment. We'll see how it goes. Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the form of a comment.


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